Improvement in scythe-blades



"UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

S. l). NELSON, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SCYTHE-BLADES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 2l,438, dated September 7, 1858.

to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in starting the web of the scythe from one edge of the back, making the back concave on the upper and convexed on the lower side, leaving the heaviest andthickest part of the back on the center and to the outside of the convexed side ofthe back, thereby making the scythe stiier, stronger, and preventing its being ground through in the line where itjo'ns the back.

lo enable others skilled in the art to make my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of the upper side of the Scythe, representing the concave of the back. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the scythe, and represents the concave and convex of the back. Fig. 3 is a perspective view ot the lower side of the scythe, representing the convex of the hack. Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views of scythes which are now in use, and which I here represent for the purpose of showing the difference between those now in use and the improvement made by me.

In the accompanying drawings, a is the web of the Scythe. b is the concave. c is the con- Vex, and e the outer edge of the back. dis the heel of the scythe.

l make the entire Scythe of cast-steel and plate the web ot' the scytbe out in the usual way. The part which is to form the back of the Scythe is made thin next to the web and to the outer edge of the back, leaving sufficient stock to make the center and outside of the convex of the back the heaviest and thickest part. Having thus prepared *the web and the part which is to form the back, I then properly heat the whole mass and place it in a swage and swage it to the desired shape. The heel is then turned and the point is h'nished in the usual way.

Scythes made on the principle represented in Fig. 5 lack stiffness, being entirely too flexible to make thema desirable scythe, and when con strncted on the principle represented in Fig. 4 they have the very objectionable feature of cuttingthrough the back in grinding,thereby rendering the scythe worthless. To obvia-te these difficulties and objections, I have made the improvement in scythes herein described, and which has the following advantages, viz: It can be made light, thereby saving stock and lessening the cost ofthe Scythe; it can be used either as a grass or cradle sc vthe; it is strong and inilexible; it is not liable to be cut through in the back by grinding, and it can be manufactured more easily and cheaper than any other sc vthe now in use.

Having thus described the nature, construction,and advantages of myiniprovement, what I claim as of my invention is- Uonstructing grass or cradle scythes by starting the web of the Scythe from one edge of the back, making the back concave on the upper and convexed on the lower side, leaving the heaviest and thickest part ofthe back on the center and to the outside of the convexed side ot' the back, thereby making the scythe stiffer and stronger, as herein described and represented.

SAM UEL D. NELSON.` Witnesses:

ALEXANDER HAYs', G. P. S'rEoK. 

